Posted on 08/02/2008 9:55:49 AM PDT by B4Ranch
THE GREEN BERET COURT MARTIAL Written by To The Point News Friday, 01 August 2008
US Army Green Beret James T. (Smokey) Taylor was awakened in the early morning hours of November 5, 2007, when an intruder broke into his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. He investigated the noises with one of his many weapons in the house.
"It was just after Halloween, on Monday morning at 4:30," Taylor testified in his trial. "I heard this commotion at the door and grabbed my fishing gun, a little .22 revolver, to see what was going on.
"I got to the front door and this fellow had ripped my security door out of its frame. He said, 'You're going to have to kill me. I'm coming in'."
When a warning to leave went unheeded, Taylor brought his .22 caliber pistol to bear and shot him right between the eyes.
"I was about four feet away from him when I shot," Taylor testified. "Looking back now, I'm glad he didn't die but that boy had the hardest head I've ever seen. The bullet bounced right off."
The impact knocked the would-be thief down momentarily. He crawled out of the house then got up and ran down the street.
Taylor dialed 911 and Knoxville police apprehended the wounded man hiding in a hedgerow about 200 yards away. The offender was released on bail but failed to appear for his court date. Knoxville police said the man was homeless.
Nonetheless, Smokey was court martialed for his actions. He was placed on trial by his fellow members of Chapter XXXIII of the Special Forces Association, who found him guilty of "Failing to use a weapon of sufficient caliber."
His sentence, however, was suspended given the extenuating circumstance of his being retired and 79 years old.
I dunno-seems like there are some real boneheads walking around out there.Maybe my .357 would do the job?
I’m thinking that we need to lower our goals slightly and aim for the face or throat. We also need to stop being so cheap and fire at least two shots or go back to carrying rifles.
Ah, fess up. You shoot 'em just for the halibut.
We don’t have swordfish here where I live, except these monster gar.
But I have been wading streams and had some monster gar swim between, around my legs.
If I knew what they were, I’d of probably fell and my waders filled with water, and drowned. Have you ever seen the teeth on Southern Gar?
Instead, the very capable fishing guides I was with laughed, and assured me I had imagined it, and I believed them. They are probably still laughing, but I hung in there and had fun.
That’s what ice cold beer will do to you when you are wading a stream, stalking fish.
I was fishing for smallmouth, but after a few cold ones, they all had mouths I could put a fish hook in.
There’s no such thing as a bad fish, you just need to use your imagination. I have, believe me.
I could see myself shark fishing, minus an arm or two. I’d just have to use my toes. Anything to reel in the big one!!!
Great little story, although as I am sure you are aware, it has quite long legs and comes around in one guise or another from time to time.
I particularly like it because of the froth and foam-flecking effect the idea that rational men might both intelligently and legally defend themselves with deadly force has on those Shadow-Affective deranged manifestations of evil (AKA “socialist,” “fascists,” “communists,” “Stalinists” and “Democrats”) who project their psychopathology on the rest of us in the form of the kind of moronically mindless Cli’ton-Goresquely mumbled mendacities with which their present champion: the mobbed-up Marxist murtadd Muslim legend in his own lunchtime Arab-African, B Milhous bin B Milhous bin Hussayn Mahummid EGObama has become so well identified.
Love to the only member of your household with two votes.
Warmest - Brian
What would be considered a large one?
I use a .45 when I shoot for the halibut.
I have only seen pictures of gars. They look like alligators with no legs. I can’t think of any reason why I wouldn’t cut the line and release it. What good reason could there be that a sane person would want to inhabit the same space as an animal that is all teeth, looks like a wild eyed chainsaw blade and is capable of doing serious damage to you? No,thank you Ma’am. That’s not what I call fishin. That’s foolishness!
I have caught some fairly large pike and walleye that I would suppose if you brought them into the boat too quick could do some damage so I always chose to leave them hanging on the side for a few minutes to calm down.
LOL.
Chainsaws, alligators with no legs. That is a good description.
The one angry Musky I pulled in the boat (before I let it calm down) was also pretty scary. That thing hissed.
I presume that you would shoot the fish before bringing it into the boat. I was just looking at some pictures of halibut and noticed they are different colors on each side. I thought it was flounder that laid on the bottom of the ocean? Halibut do it too? Where do you aim for when shooting them?
Yank, you are making me jealous!!!
I have been jealous for some time, since I gave you my cell phone number, so you could call when all the redneck gals were having our reunion in Oklahoma.
I had about two dozen redneck girls lined up there (of various age groups), waiting for your call (LOL).
To be honest, it was so fascinating to be there, I probably couldn’t have found my cell phone!!!!
I need to send you a freepmail.
What can I say? You are shooting halibut. I need to get off my butt and outfish you (ROTFL). The only way I’ll ever beat your 200 pound halibut stories is to go after the big old catfish here, and they are not my cup of tea (or beer).
I have never SHOT fish, but I know folks who like to use a specially rigged crossbow to shoot them. I’m game, could do this; especially with a designated boat driver on a moonlit night.
I will freepmail you (have another column due asap), but you could also FM me. I love hearing your stories about the Great frontier.
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